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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28389906">some people are worth melting for</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatricefeels/pseuds/avatricefeels'>avatricefeels</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Warrior Nun (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Plot What Plot, Rivals to Lovers, This is crack, ace!camila, established lilshotgun, festive crack if you will, figure skating, ice hockey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:48:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,995</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28389906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatricefeels/pseuds/avatricefeels</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It is universally known that figure skaters and ice hockey players do not get along. What happens when figure skater Beatrice and hockey captain Ava are forced to sort out their differences?</p><p>Or it’s the rivals to lovers crack that no one asked for but I’m here to deliver anyway, because the fandom deserves something light and funny.</p><p>Rated Teen for swearing only.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Lilith/Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>171</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>some people are worth melting for</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misscoffeedependant/gifts">Misscoffeedependant</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/0celsius/gifts">0celsius</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A Zamboni is one of those machines on wheels that smooths out the ice before games, competitions etc in case you didn’t already know!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ava first started driving the Zamboni at the ice rink her hockey team trained at, the hours were not an issue. The pay was decent for what the work was, allowing her to support herself through university. Recently, however, one of the members of the figure skating team had taken to training early in the morning. Like, 5 am early. Ava took those shifts because every other reasonable colleague of hers refused to, but Ava was <em> not </em> a morning person. So, she did it, but complained profusely. The fact that said figure skater was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen sweetened the deal a little at first, but Ava quickly came to learn that she was one of the most uptight people she had ever met. And that was <em> before </em>she found out that Ava was the captain of the ice hockey team. Now, the pair bickered whenever they saw each other, but had not exchanged names. Ava had taken to referring to her as the Cute But Infuriating figure skater to her friends, although she tried to guess her name each time their paths crossed.</p><p>“Hey, Doretha.”</p><p>“Hey, Marjorie.”</p><p>“Hey, Este.”</p><p>“Are you naming me after Taylor Swift songs?” the figure skater asked her one morning.</p><p>Ava nodded. “Yup. I’m surprised you picked up on that detail. I didn’t have you pegged as someone who would lower themselves to the levels of pop culture.”</p><p>The other girl looked up from tying her skates and raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “And what sort of a person do you consider me to be?”</p><p>Ava shrugged. “Dunno. Probably someone who only listens to classical music pre-1900.”</p><p>“That’s a little judgemental, don’t you think?” she retorted.</p><p>“Speak for yourself, Miss Holier than Thou.”</p><p>Having got to her feet, she crossed her arms. Standing in her figure skates whilst Ava stood in her trainers, she towered over Ava by a good head. “What can I say? I suppose you just bring out the worst in me.”</p><p>Ava pulled a face. “Likewise.”</p><hr/><p>Beatrice stood at the edge of the ice rink and groaned inwardly as she watched people attempt to get into the festive spirit by launching themselves across the ice. That really was the only way of describing it. Those who came to pop-up ice rinks during the Christmas season were those who only skated at this time of year, and so by default were almost always out of practice and terrible.</p><p>As a figure skater, it pained Beatrice to no end to see people crashing into the boards as an alternative to stopping, or heaven forbid trying to <em> walk. </em> Bambi would have been more graceful. She couldn’t understand how falling over so many times could be considered  fun.</p><p>“Well, aren’t you brimming with Christmas cheer,” Lilith chortled, appearing beside her. Beatrice rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised you haven’t been scaring off the customers.”</p><p>“I’m not sure how much more of this I can take, Lilith,” Beatrice grumbled. “Some of them are hazards to human life. We’ve run out of the penguin skate aids three times today because so many adults need them. They’re meant to be for <em> children </em>.”</p><p>“You’ve been saying that since the beginning of the season, and yet you’re still here,” Lilith pointed out.</p><p>“It hurts my soul.”</p><p>Lilith shrugged. “You’ll live. Besides, you’re bound by your contract until the end of the month.”</p><p>“Don’t remind me. What are you doing here anyway?”</p><p>“Did you forget already?”</p><p>“Forget what?”</p><p>“I’m taking Mary out onto the ice today.”</p><p>“You’re bringing your girlfriend to your place of work? That’s imaginative.”</p><p>Lilith whacked Beatrice’s arm. “I <em> did </em>suggest going to our training rink, but she insisted that she wasn’t going anywhere near ice that didn’t have a decent bar.”</p><p>“Our training rink does have a bar…”</p><p>“Yeah, but it’s awful. Everyone knows that. The criteria for the date was a <em> decent </em>bar.”</p><p>“Touché. Can’t argue with that.”</p><p>Lilith’s phone pinged. Pulling it out of her pocket she said, “Mary will be here in a minute. It seems her housemate will be joining us.”</p><p>Beatrice pulled a face. “Isn’t the whole point of a date meant to be that it’s just the two of you?”</p><p>Lilith shrugged and laughed. “I suppose, but I don’t mind on this occasion. Ava is a laugh. She might even be able to bring a smile to that miserable face of yours.”</p><p>“That really would be a Christmas miracle,” Beatrice grumbled.</p><p>“Mary, Mary, look! They make hot chocolate with those massive marshmallows!” someone exclaimed behind them. That someone sounded exactly like Zamboni Girl. Beatrice clenched her jaw, but did not turn around. She silently prayed that she was just passing through and was not going to be coming any closer. That she was speaking to someone else named Mary, not Lilith’s Mary. However, it seemed that luck was not on her side. Beatrice was in a bad enough mood as it was, but this was just the cherry on the cake. Today of <em> all </em>days.</p><p>Out of her work clothes, Zamboni Girl looked more like the hockey player she claimed to be. She wore the university women’s team jersey, the Areala Warriors, over the top of a chunky hoodie, with a matching beanie and black tracksuit bottoms.</p><p>“Oh, hello! Fancy seeing you here,” Zamboni Girl said, all irritating smiles.</p><p>“I work here,” Beatrice replied flatly.</p><p>She bounced on her toes. “So I see!”</p><p>Mary looked between them, evidently confused. “Wait, do you two know each other?”</p><p>Beatrice and Ava replied with <em> no </em> and <em> yes </em>at the same time, respectively.</p><p>“<em>T</em><em>his, </em>” Ava gestured to Beatrice. “Is the figure skater who is the bane of my existence.”</p><p>“Oi!” Beatrice snapped.</p><p>Mary looked between them knowingly, her eyes holding a mischievous spark that irked Beatrice. Lilith meanwhile could barely stifle her laughter.</p><p>“Ah, I see. It all makes now,” Mary snickered.</p><p>Beatrice looked at the small hockey player. “You’re the housemate?” she clarified.</p><p>“Yeah. We were roommates in first year and she’s been stuck with me ever since,” Ava replied excitedly, elbowing Mary in her side.</p><p>Mary chuckled. “That about sums it up.”</p><p>
  <em> Ava. </em>
</p><p>“Can you at least try to be civil, please?” Lilith whispered to Beatrice before she and Mary got on the ice. “For my sake?”</p><p>“I will if Ava stays away from me,” Beatrice replied with a huff. Her name sounded weird in her mouth.</p><p>“She’s really not that bad, you know. Energetic, perhaps…”</p><p>“She’s annoying,” Beatrice cut in.</p><p>Lilith laughed. “Then you two are cut from the same cloth!”</p><p>Unfortunately for Beatrice, Ava seemed hellbent on further irritating her before she got on the ice.</p><p>“I love this colour on you!” Ava mock complimented her. “The fluorescent yellow really brings out your eyes. Big improvement on normal all-black attire.”</p><p>“How is it possible that you’ve gotten more annoying since we last spoke?”</p><p>“What can I say? It’s part of my natural charm. I’m Ava, by the way.”</p><p>“I gathered.”</p><p>Ava regarded the taller girl quizzically. “I thought that you were always grumpy during your sessions because of my presence.”</p><p>Beatrice sighed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”</p><p>“But now I’m beginning to think this is your default setting.”</p><p>Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Are you getting on the ice or not?”</p><p>Ava grinned wildly and stepped onto the ice with ease. “Of course! Who else is going to record Mary stumbling all over the place? Do you know how many times I’ve tried to get her onto the ice?”</p><p>“There’s a no phones on the ice rule!” Beatrice yelled after her, but Ava had soon shot off across the ice, weaving in and out of those who were considerably less stable.</p><p>Luckily, the session was over relatively quickly and Ava did not attempt to further irk Beatrice. She was far too engrossed in switching between laughing at Mary and happily skating around by herself. In fact, Beatrice found herself rather impressed at Ava’s skating, although a crowded Christmas rink was not the best indicator of someone’s skills. Anyone who could stand upright and not fall over looked like a pro among the rest of the people there. Beatrice didn’t have it in her to tell Ava off about using her phone, although she’d be the last one to admit that she <em> did </em> find the whole situation amusing. She would also never admit that Lilith was right. Ava <em> did </em>bring a smile to her face, when she spotted her taking it upon herself to teach a little girl how to stop safely.</p><p>It was a small smile really, barely there. But enough.</p><p>Afterwards, much to Beatrice’s disdain, Mary extended Beatrice an olive branch; inviting her to join the three of them for a drink at the bar. It was going reasonably well until Mary stepped away for more drinks, leaving Ava unattended with the two of them.</p><p>“I’m going to get another drink,” Mary announced, before turning to Lilith. “Do you want anything, babe?”</p><p>Lilith shook her head whilst Ava pretended to be disgusted by Mary’s use of the word <em> babe. </em>However, when Mary was out of earshot, Ava lent across the table to Lilith. “You know, in all the years Mary and I have lived together I’ve never been able to get her onto the ice. Not once. Not even when I offered to cook all of her meals for a month.”</p><p>“That’s because you’re a terrible cook, Ava,” Lilith quipped with a grin.</p><p>Ava mocked an appalled face. “Has Mary been bitching to you about my cooking already?”</p><p>Lilith brought her drink to her lips. “Perhaps.”</p><p>“It’s a work in progress, dammit!” Ava complained. “I was actually trying to say something nice before you got all mean. Is that a thing with you figure skaters?” Ava turned to meet Beatrice’s eyes. “You’re all hardasses?”</p><p>“Yes, actually,” came Beatrice’s response. “You have to take a special test before they let you in. It’s called taking the sport seriously.”</p><p>Ava turned to Beatrice and frowned, whilst Lilith exhaled heavily. It was going to be a long evening.</p><p>“What makes you think hockey players don’t take their sport seriously?”</p><p>“All you do is start fights over nothing.”</p><p>“And all you do is those twists.”</p><p>“They’re called <em> spins </em>!”</p><p>Neither Beatrice nor Ava even registered Mary’s  return later. Seeing the pair bickering, Mary’s eyes widened as she set her drink on the table. “How long did that take?” she asked her girlfriend.</p><p>Lilith chuckled. “About a minute after you left.”</p><p>“Wow. That has to be some kinda record, right?”</p><p>Mary leaned closer to Lilith to ensure her words would not be overhead. “Babe, d’you wanna bet how long it’s gonna be before they fuck?”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><hr/><p>The Christmas season had ended and a new year rolled in when Superion, the figure skating coach, announced to her skaters that, due to increased prices of rink hire, they would now have to share some ice time with the hockey team.</p><p>Beatrice’s heart sunk. “You’ve got to be joking.”</p><p>Superion raised an eyebrow. “Is that going to be an issue, Beatrice? I’ve been assured by Jillian that the players will be on their best behaviour.”</p><p>In truth, the arrangement would have worked fine had Ava and Beatrice been excluded from the equation. They were wholly incapable of holding civil conversation, and somehow managed to annoy each other from opposite ends of the rink. They were both off their game during these shared sessions, and so before too long their coaches decided enough was enough. At the end of one evening session, they called the two of them to the centre of the ice, sending everyone else to the changing rooms.</p><p>“Listen, I didn’t want to have to do this…” Jillian began.</p><p>“But you’ve left us with no option,” Superion added.</p><p>“For whatever reason, you two are incapable of sharing the same space,” Jillian continued, before pausing to meet Superion’s eyes. There was a twinkle there that perplexed both Ava and Beatrice, but it was soon forgotten.</p><p>“With that in mind, you will both be staying here tonight until you’ve sorted out your differences,” Superion finished.</p><p>Ava threw her head back dramatically and groaned, whilst Beatrice pinched the bridge of her nose.</p><p>“But, Coach,” Beatrice began to say.</p><p>“I won’t hear any of it, Beatrice,” Superion replied calmly, but stern.</p><p>As Jillian and Superion skated off to sit in the stands, for they knew that their girls would try everything to wiggle out of this but wouldn’t dare under their watchful gaze, neither Beatrice nor Ava heard them giggling.</p><p>“Do you really think this is going to work?” Superion asked.</p><p>“I hope for both our sakes that it does! They remind me of us in the beginning.” This earned a chuckle from the other coach.</p><p>Superion raised her eyebrows. “Fancy a bet?”</p><p>“Absolutely. You know me too well, my love.”</p><p>Back on the ice, Beatrice turned to Ava. “This is all your fault.”</p><p>“My fault?” Ava echoed, incredulous. “You heard them. The problem is <em> both </em>of us. Besides, we wouldn’t be here if you just lightened up a little.”</p><p>“That’s ridiculous. I’ll lighten up when you shut up.”</p><p>“But then you wouldn’t need to lighten up at all,” Ava retorted.</p><p>Beatrice threw her hands up in defeat. “Exactly!” she exclaimed, before skating to the side for some water. Ava followed her, knowing that Jillian would want to see some evidence of her actually <em> trying. </em>They stood in silence for a few minutes, gazing out onto the empty ice before Ava’s face lit up.</p><p>“Hang on, I have an idea. Wait here.” Then she dashed off towards the storeroom, before Beatrice could protest. She was gone for some time, but returned with what looked like a kit bag, and dumped it at Beatrice’s feet.</p><p>“What’s all this?” Beatrice asked.</p><p>“Hockey kit,” Ava replied simply.</p><p>“Right… And what do you expect me to do with this?”</p><p>Ava bent down, unzipped the bag and began pulling out various pads. “Put it on.”</p><p>“Put it <em> on </em>? Is this a joke?”</p><p>Ava shook her head. “Nope.” She put her hands on her knees. “Look. Our coaches are not going to let us leave until they see some sort of attempt to <em> sort out our differences, </em>whatever that’s meant to mean. I thought maybe appreciating each other’s sports might be a good place to start.”</p><p>Beatrice made a face. “Do I really have to put all this on?”</p><p>“Yes,” Ava insisted. “Safety first. I’m not going to get press-up forfeits next training because you got injured on my watch.”</p><p>Beatrice sighed. “Fine. But only if I can put you in a sparkly costume afterwards.”</p><p>Ava smiled. “That seems fair.”</p><p>“Then let’s get this over with.”</p><p>Rather than expect Beatrice to put the pads on in the right order, Ava ordered Beatrice to stand up and did it for her. Having Ava on her knees in front of her, her touch grazing her legs as she tightened the shin pads around her legs somehow made Beatrice’s heart quicken. She hoped that it was not obvious.</p><p>With a shorter, narrower blade and no toe pick, Beatrice was more unsteady than she expected. She stumbled within moments of stepping onto the ice, but managed not to fall over.</p><p>“You good there, Miss Figure Skater?”</p><p>“I’m fine.”</p><p>“Uh huh. Okay. We’ll see how fine you are after a couple of basic drills.”</p><p>Ava spotted Superion and Jillian in the stands and gave them a wave.</p><p>Ava did not go easy on Beatrice. She knew she would be paying for it later when their roles were reversed, but there was something about knocking Beatrice’s ego down a few pegs that was simply delightful. Beatrice was about as good at hockey as Ava expected her to be, which was to say not very. She was vastly better at skating without a stick, but to her credit began to understand the concept of outside and inside edges in time. Though she still did her crossovers like a figure skater.</p><p>“No,” Ava told her. “You need to step over, not glide. It’s quicker. You’re attacking the ice, not caressing it.”</p><p>“That’s not how you do it, though,” Beatrice argued.</p><p>Ava put her gloved hands on her hips. “That’s how <em> we </em>do it. Pay attention, I’m the teacher here.”</p><p>“Yes, Miss,” Beatrice mocked, before coming to a stop. “Can we try something else?” She was hoping for something where she might be able to leave Ava in the dust, something where she wouldn’t look like an idiot playing dress up.</p><p>“I get the sense that you have something in mind.”</p><p>“Let’s sprint. One end of the rink to the other.”</p><p>Ava grinned smugly. “Oh, it’s on like Donkey Kong.”</p><p>As it turned out, Beatrice gravely underestimated Ava. She had not considered two very important things. One, that she was not wearing familiar skates, and two, ice hockey was a game of speed. That wasn’t to say that figure skating was a slow sport, far from it, but figure skating in of itself was not designed to be <em> quick, </em> but rather <em> graceful. </em>Beatrice knew from the moment Ava exploded off the boards, with more power than she thought possible for someone so small, that she was going to lose.</p><p>“How does coming last feel?” Ava teased when Beatrice reached the other end of the rink, though she was only a few seconds behind.</p><p>“Winning with humility is not a trait you possess, then,” Beatrice observed.</p><p>“As if you wouldn’t rub it in my face if <em> you </em> had won,” Ava retorted. At this Beatrice shrugged and did not reply. They both knew Ava was right, but Beatrice would not admit to being a sore loser.</p><p>Next, Ava had Beatrice take some shots on goal from various distances and angles, from the blue line to the slot. None of the pucks even went in, although one did bounce off of the right-hand post.</p><p>“The puck is meant to go into the goal you know, Bea,” Ava teased.</p><p>“Screw you, Silva.”</p><p>Ava did not miss a beat with her response. “Be my guest.”</p><p>At this, Beatrice’s ears turned pink, and for the first time she was grateful for the bulky helmet. “Shut up.”</p><p>“I’ll take that as a no then.” Ava shrugged, and fired a puck into the goal to show Beatrice how it was done. “Worth a shot.”</p><p>Beatrice rolled her eyes. “You are <em> insufferable. </em>”</p><p>Beatrice’s last hockey challenge was to try and get the puck off Ava. They started a short distance apart, with Ava moving the puck from side to side in front of her. Beatrice skated towards her tentatively and pushed her stick forwards, though Ava easily moved the puck to one side.</p><p>“C’mon,” she said. “I know you can do better than that. Be assertive!”</p><p>With that in mind, Beatrice tried a different approach. She remained behind Ava without skating to either side, knowing that Ava would out-manoeuvre her. She could see the puck between Ava’s skates, so pushed forwards, slipping her stick between Ava’s skates and reaching for the puck. In doing so Ava flew her right hand out behind her, pushing Beatrice away and attempting to re-angle her body. However, Ava pushed with the same power she would use during a game, which was more force that Beatrice was expecting, causing her to lose balance and stumbled backwards onto the ice. In doing so, the blade of Beatrice’s stick caught Ava’s ankle, causing her to twist towards Beatrice and fall down with her.</p><p>Beatrice found herself flat on her back. She would have been staring at the ceiling were Ava not effectively straddling her. The pair remained frozen there for a few moments, closer than they had ever been. Something in the cold air shifted. Oh. <em> Oh. </em></p><p>Beatrice found herself lost in Ava’s dark eyes, searching for where her irises blended with the depths of her pupils. Ava, meanwhile, became suddenly fascinated by the splatter of freckles across the bridge of Beatrice’s nose and under her eyelids. She found herself wanting to draw lines between them to form constellations.</p><p>“Shit,” Ava swore, breaking the moment. She clambered off Beatrice and hastily got to her feet, holding out a hand. “Are you alright?”</p><p>Beatrice also broke from her daze. “Yep, yeah, I’m fine,” she stammered, trying to look anywhere other than Ava’s eyes. “You’re right about these pads though,” she rambled as Ava pulled her to her feet. “Solid stuff. Didn’t really hurt at all.”</p><p>“Well, that’s what they’re designed for,” Ava replied sheepishly.</p><p>They stood awkwardly for a few moments longer, the air between them growing thick with… something new and unexpected.</p><p>“Do you want to get changed?” Ava asked. “I bet you can’t wait to put me in something hideous with sequins.”</p><p>When Beatrice returned she grinned as she presented the sparkly pink leotard.</p><p>Ava grimaced. “You couldn’t have found something in my team colours, at least?”</p><p>“You made me wear smelly second-hand gear, Ava. This is light payback, all things considered.”</p><p>Once Ava was changed and had donned figure skates, she rubbed her arms after stumbling onto the ice. “It’s freezing without my kit. I feel naked,” she complained.</p><p>“Then we better get moving. Come on.”</p><p>Unsurprisingly, Ava was anything but graceful, her movements clunky and lacking fluidity. She did, however, find herself in awe of Beatrice’s demonstrations. She made even the most basic poses and tricks look beautiful, with the elegance of a ballet dancer.</p><p>When attempting a small jump, Ava got caught her toe-pick and tripped, falling face first. On her way down, her chin caught the ice, though her arms took the brunt of the impact. By the time Beatrice reached her, cupping Ava’s cheeks in her hands instinctively, she found the hockey player with a grazed chin and a bleeding lip. They had been this close earlier, but this was different. Ava was injured, and Beatrice’s eyes narrowed in concern.</p><p>“I saw you back there,” Ava later said, her words somewhat muffled by the medical gauze she held against her mouth. “You were worried about me.”</p><p>“Of course, I was worried about you, Ava,” Beatrice replied. “You were bleeding all over the ice!”</p><p>Ava smirked. “Still.”</p><p>As they made to leave, their coaches satisfied that the pair had tried to sort out their differences, Beatrice asked for Ava’s number.</p><p>Ava pulled a face. “What do you want my number for?”</p><p>“So I can check up on you later,” Beatrice insisted. “I have zero faith in your first aid abilities.” Purely for practical reasons, nothing else.</p><p>“Do you always insult women as a means to get their number?” Ava wondered.</p><p>“No, but you are a special brand of stupid. So, you get VIP treatment,” Beatrice replied.</p><p>“What an honour!”</p><hr/><p>“Let me get this straight,” Lilith said when Beatrice finally returned home. “Ava literally gave you the opportunity to get in her pants and you didn’t take it?”</p><p>“Why does everyone think I want to do that?” Beatrice grumbled, though she did not meet Lilith’s knowing look.</p><p>“Because we’re not blind, Beatrice. Or stupid.”</p><p>As Beatrice lay in bed awake that night she came to the horrifying realisation that Lilith might be right. <em> How inconvenient, </em>she thought, before reaching for her phone and pining Ava a message.</p><p>
  <em> How’s your lip? </em>
</p><p>Ava replied straight away. <em> A bit swollen and sore, but mostly okay thanks. Look at you checking up on me! I’d call that progress ;) </em></p><p><em> Shut up </em> was all Beatrice wrote in response, though she groaned. “What the fuck am I doing?” she asked herself out loud, before rolling over and going to sleep. </p><hr/><p>In time, Beatrice and Ava’s relationship shifted. It wasn’t entirely clear to them when the change from rivals to people who tolerated each other happened, but it was a welcomed sight for both Superion and Jillian. More than that, the dynamic further shifted to a <em> we’re friends but we insist that we aren’t and low-key flirt with each other </em>status. Somehow, this was even more painful than the rival stage for everyone who had to be in their presence.</p><p>“Goddammit!” Mary exclaimed at Ava one day. “Will you just ask her out or fuck her already?”</p><p>Ava’s brows knitted together. “Beatrice doesn’t like me like that,” Ava insisted.</p><p>Mary tilted her head to one side and raised an eyebrow. “Ava, are you for real? Did that concussion last year kill off all of your brain cells?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Beatrice is <em> into you, </em>you idiot!”</p><p>“She is?”</p><p>“Oh, my God. You are the <em> definition </em>of useless. You already bicker like an old married couple. Literally everyone who isn’t in our small group thinks you two are dating.”</p><p>“Seriously?”</p><p>“Yes! Put us out of our misery already, will you?”</p><p>Several days later, Ava casually brought up that some people thought they were dating, to test the waters. When Beatrice looked at her oddly, she quickly added, “How ridiculous is that?”</p><p>“Ava, I wouldn’t date you if you were the last person on earth,” Beatrice said adamantly, trying to ignore the way her heart rate spiked.</p><p>“Well, if I was the last person on earth you wouldn’t be there, dummy,” Ava retorted.</p><p>Beatrice rolled her eyes. “This is a perfect example of why I couldn’t date you. You’re far too irritating.”</p><p>“You love my jokes really. I’ll get you to admit that one day.”</p><p>“Don’t hold your breath.”</p><p>It took another painful week for Ava to bring up the topic again.</p><p>“What would it take to get you to go on a date with me?”</p><p>Beatrice considered this for a time, trying to think of the most impossible scenario. She crossed her arms and regarded Ava pointedly. “I’ll go on a date with you when the Areala Warriors win the league.”</p><p>Ava grinned. “I know you’re trying to wound me, but this only gives me more motivation to <em> win. </em>It’s a deal. No backing out now.”</p><p>“It would be far easier for everyone to just admit that you like her, Beatrice,” Lilith observed later. “Why are you bothering with all this nonsense?”</p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lilith,” Beatrice insisted, not looking up from her book. Lilith grabbed a cushion and threw it at her friend. “Ow! What was that for?”</p><p>“I was hoping it might knock some sense into you. Did it work?”</p><p>Beatrice didn’t respond.</p><p>“I’ll take that as a no, then.” Lilith threw another cushion. <em> God give me strength, </em>she muttered under her breath.</p><hr/><p>In a development that shocked them all, the Areala Warriors ended up making it to the university league final. There they would face their toughest challenge yet, and go up against the reigning champions. The St Vincent Vikings. The Vikings had remained undefeated for several years with a play style that was as brutal as it was dirty, which had come to be with the reputation of their captain, a fiery woman named Crimson. For their tendency to bend the rules and provide heart-stopping play, the Vikings were a fan favourite. The Warriors had their work cut out for them.</p><p>Before the start of the game, Camila, the resident Warriors' mascot, stood nervously by Mary, Lilith and Beatrice in the stands. The head of her racoon costume stood by her feet.</p><p>“Why a racoon?” Beatrice wondered aloud.</p><p>Camila shrugged. “It’s an inside joke, of sorts. You see the face paint?” She pointed at the  head. “It’s like Lexa, a character from this sci-fi post-apocalyptic show we used to love.”</p><p>Beatrice nodded. “Ah I see. Does the racoon have a name?”</p><p>Camila nodded enthusiastically. “Ace! That was its name before I became mascot, but I turned it on its head by making Ace an asexual icon, hence the second flag.” Camila picked up two flags from besides Ace’s head; one bearing the Warrior’s halo emblem and the other the asexual pride colours. “We need more representation, you know?”</p><p>Beatrice nodded. “Couldn’t agree more!”</p><p>The game was one of the most intense things Beatrice had ever witnessed, even after attending all the Warrior home games over the last few months (only when she had nothing better to do of course, no other reason). The teams were evenly matched, both in skill and determination. It really could go either way, and Mary, Lilith and Beatrice found themselves on the edges of their seats in all three periods, and stress ate during the breaks.</p><p>With the score at 1-1, the game went into overtime before tragedy struck. Crimson insisted to the refs that Ava had tripped her, causing her to stumble and miss a shot. To those who were seated nearby and at the right angle, it was evident that Ava had done no such thing, but merely had successfully stolen the puck through perfectly legal means. Ava tried to defend herself, but ultimately was not listened to. This left the Areala Warriors down a player, their captain no less, and the Vikings on a 5 v 4 advantage. If they managed to score whilst Ava was in the penalty box, all would be lost. If the Warrior’s held their own, it would be a miracle.</p><p>As the seconds ticked painfully away, Ava could barely keep still. She remained standing, ready to bolt back onto the ice the moment she was able to. After another near miss shot from the Vikings, as the teams arranged themselves for another faceoff, Beatrice tapped on the glass to get Ava’s attention.</p><p><em> You got this, </em>she mouthed with an enthusiastic thumbs up, knowing Ava would not be able to hear over the roar of the crowd. Beatrice was wearing Ava’s team beanie and her jersey in the reverse away colours. Something about the sight soothed the adrenaline roaring in Ava’s veins, and gave her the hopeful boost she needed. She tapped the glass in response, and moments later returned onto the ice, with the scoreboard unchanged.</p><p>Ava played with a newfound ferocity, kicking exhaustion to one side. With the puck in their end of the rink, she wasted no time positioning herself on the blue line ready to receive a pass from the Warrior defence. One of her teammates succeeded in wrestling the puck off Crimson and shot it against the boards, around the Vikings offence, and straight to Ava’s stick. With a breakaway opportunity presented and the sweet taste of victory tantalisingly close, Ava shot up the ice, dodging the Viking’s defence, and towards the goal. In a matter of seconds it became clear that it was just her and the goalie, the other players left for dust. Only one woman stood between her and the Areala Warriors' first league title.</p><p>She kept her play simple and continued to skate hard until the last conceivable moment, tricking the goalie into thinking she was yet to take her shot. Then, with all the power she could muster, she launched the puck off the ice and into the air, sending it zipping over the goalie’s right shoulder and into the top corner of the net.</p><p>Time seemed to slow in the following seconds before the horn sounded and the commentators voice boomed <em> GOAL! </em></p><p>Ava was bombarded by her teammates before she could even begin to process that they had <em> won. </em>Everything that followed, the on ice celebration and holding up the trophy, passed in a blur before she finally skated over to where her friends were sat. As she did so, the joke that Beatrice would go on a date with her if the Warriors won the league did not cross her mind. She was too ecstatic, too jubilant over the win of her team to be thinking of anything else.</p><p>“Baby Halo, that was amazing!” Mary congratulated her.</p><p>“Right?” Ava exclaimed, taking off her helmet. “I can barely believe it!”</p><p>“Your win hasn’t sunk in yet then?” Lilith asked.</p><p>Ava chuckled. “No, I don’t think so.”</p><p>Before Ava could say anything else, Camila, still dressed as Ace the racoon, hopped over the boards onto the ice and hugged Ava tightly.</p><p>“So, how are we going to celebrate later?” Ava asked when she had been let free.</p><p>“What do you say to party at ours, Ava?” Mary asked.</p><p>Ava bounced up and down excitedly. “Seriously? You mean that? You never let us throw post game parties!”</p><p>Mary grinned. “I think I can make an exception on this occasion. You won the damn league, kid! You in?” Mary glanced at their friends, who all agreed, though Beatrice nodded and remained quiet.</p><p>“You alright, Bea?” Ava wondered.</p><p>“I had something else in mind to celebrate…” she trailed off, without breaking Ava’s gaze. Ava’s eyebrows knitted together, whilst Camila, Lilith and Mary exchanged a knowing look.</p><p>“Is this it?” Lilith whispered to Mary.</p><p>Mary hit her girlfriend’s arm. “Shhh!”</p><p>“And what’s that?” Ava asked innocently.</p><p>Beatrice stepped down, learnt over the boards and cupped Ava’s face with her gloved hands. She paused momentarily, searching her eyes for hesitancy. When she found none, she brought their lips together and kissed Ava firmly.</p><p>“Did I finally melt your frozen heart?” Ava asked then they pulled apart.</p><p>“Well,” Beatrice replied, slipping her arms around Ava’s shoulders, the crowd be damned. “Some people are worth melting for.”</p><p>At this, Ava smiled, but not just a normal smile; not a shit-eating grin or a smug smirk, but a smile that was reserved just for Beatrice.</p><p>“I’m really proud of you for making that reference, you know.” Ava blushed. “Can I kiss you again?”</p><p>Beatrice wrinkled her nose, before leaning back to put some distance between them and gripping Ava’s shoulders. “Maybe after you’ve had a shower. As much as I like you, Ava, you stink.”</p><p>“A pop culture reference and admitting you like me? Look at you!” Ava joked.</p><p>Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Get out of here already!”</p><p>As Ava moved to exit the rink, a voice boomed over the speakers. Camila, in her mascot outfit, had wrestled the microphone from one of the commentators.</p><p>“It’s about bloody time! Avatrice endgame!” she yelled, and easily half of the gathered spectators cheered.</p><p>As they exited the rink, Superion appeared and swooped Jillian into a crushing hug, before congratulating Ava with a high five. She also raised an eyebrow at Ava and Beatrice’s intertwined hands.</p><p>“Took you two long enough!” she chuckled and turned to Jillian again. “I believe you lost the bet, mio amore.”</p><p>Beatrice and Ava looked back and forth between the two women, observing their body language with a new clarity. </p><p>“Wait.... are you two <em> married? </em> To each other? <em> ” </em>Ava exclaimed. She knew that Jillian was married, but never would have put her and Superion together. Beatrice looked equally surprised. </p><p>“That’s generally how it works,” Superion replied.</p><p>“No need to look so shocked, Ava,” Jillian said with a knowing look between her and Beatrice. “I believe you kids call it… rival to lovers?”</p><p>Both Ava and Beatrice blushed at this.</p><p>“Bet?” Beatrice echoed. </p><p>Jillian shrugged. “We had to make your rivalry somewhat entertaining.”</p><p>“Besides,” Superion added. “As I understand it, ours was not the only bet,” she trailed off, glancing at Lilith.</p><p>Lilith looked appalled. “Coach, I told you that in confidence!” she protested.</p><p>Ava groaned. “I hate it here and I hate you all!”</p><p>Mary shook her head and laughed. “No you don’t, Baby Halo.” </p><hr/><p>Several years later, in a further twist of fate that nobody expected, Beatrice and Ava found themselves at the Winter Olympics. One day between competitions, a reporter pinned the two of them down.</p><p>“Did I hear correctly that you asked the organisers if they could schedule your competitions so that they didn’t clash?” the reporter asked.</p><p>They both nodded.</p><p>“That’s right,” Ava said.</p><p>“We wanted to be able to support each other,” Beatrice explained simply, their hands intertwined off camera.</p><p>“It was worth a shot,” Ava added.</p><p>“Would it be a silly question to ask how you two met?” the reporter wondered.</p><p>“You know,” Beatrice chuckled. “It’s actually a funny story…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Consider this my delayed Christmas/holidays gift to you all, hope you enjoyed.</p><p>I also just wanted to say a massive thank you to @misscoffeedependent for beta-ing this fic, you're a legend, and @0celsius for brainstorming ideas for this with me :D</p><p>I have two other oneshots as well as an ongoing multi-chap fic for these two idiots, so do check those out if you feel so inclined. In the meantime, I hope the remaining days of 2020 are as good as they can be for you. Take care and see you for more Warrior Nun nonsense in 2021!</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/avatricefeels">Twitter</a>.</p><p>If you want to find out about the very first Warrior Nun fanzine, check out the Warrior Nun Fan Promo announcement on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/WarriorNunPromo/status/1383099195448516616">here</a>. Submissions are open until 21th May 2021.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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